Distributive Leadership Use In Schools:

Leadership is applied in various ways in school settings.  Some leadership is affective and some is frustrating and leads to conflict.  One way to effectively practice leadership is by using distributive leadership.  This type of leadership was in place at my last school site and allowed teachers to hold positions in the school that had more responsibility.  By teachers serving as either vice principals, mentor teachers, committee meeting leaders, club coordinators, and by reporting and sharing effective teaching practices, school board policy, and community events with other teachers, it allowed the leadership to be more active and present.  By distributing the leadership roles, the administration was not overwhelmed and was able to still be present and active in both the school and community, serving in a positive and effective capacity.  

Leadership Theory and Leadership Style

What type of leaders do you admire?  What kind of leader are you?  What kind of leader do you want to be?  Can great changes still happen through inspirational leaders?  Great leaders are present and active.

This process of exploring leadership and thinking about how I could best use my skills and talents to make a difference has been very interesting and reflective for me.  It is apparent that education is in the midst of turmoil and another reformation and I am being very careful about where I decide to invest my time and energy because I really want to be a support, a resource, and continue to grow and learn professionally and personally.  I want to inspire and be inspired!  I don’t take this life calling lightly and by stepping out of the classroom for a time period to work with my own children, (since they absolutely deserve the best I have to offer too!)  I’ve been able to listen and objectively assess what the needs are in public schools. I feel taking this time to expand my knowledge base and skills will help me be an even better coach, mentor, and trainer encouraging others to lead by example when looking for solutions to problems.  I just want to find where I'm needed most.  Honestly, a Discovery Channel show where I makeover Classroom Nightmares keeps coming to mind as the most effective way to overhaul our most challenging educational settings the quickest, but we'll see where life leads me.

Through reading articles and participating in discussions through my EDL/500 Course in Personal Leadership, I have been pushed to identify the leadership theory that most closely matches my leadership style.  While some are more rigid and formal, I feel my leadership style is one that is depicted in Rethinking Leadership and views the school as a moral community. “This theory provides for moral connections among teachers, principals, parents, and students, and it helps all of them to become self-managing” (Sergiovanni 2007 p. 86).  I believe this is my leadership style because I really see the value in helping people see their strengths and talents and having everyone feel they are a part of the learning team by contributing their best work to it.  When everyone has a common goal of being critical parts of the learning experience with their own unique set of experiences, background, knowledge, questions, and ideas, each person is seen as a necessary part of the learning community with purpose in our greater society and world.  When a school is viewed as a place people want to be and there is a positive, welcoming environment where high standards are sought after and creative active thinkers are present; this is a place I get excited about working and can foster solutions to problems through inventive project based learning.

I create learning experiences, help people form friendships, take risks to push themselves to improve for the better, and honestly have the whole person’s best interests at heart by wanting them to achieve goals they set for themselves based on informed decisions and accurate information.  I believe in creative outlets, active and engaged thinkers who are students and professional educators, and am not giving up on the hope for the best education for our students through diligent, inspired, and knowledgeable professional teams of educators.  Having a common purpose, understood mission statement, and articulated goals to achieve gives us a guideline and it is through personal self directed responsibility with guidance that we achieve those goals.

Just on an end note of encouraging and modeling continuously learning, if you haven't read about curriculum driven leadership and compared it to managerialist leadership, it is an interesting topic for discussion.  Thank you for all you do to encourage and educate our youth.  We might not be able to solve all the problems of the world, but what if we start by solving just one?